


After they Won

by crispytaco



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, miraculous
Genre: Adrinette, Angst, F/M, Fluff, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2020-09-30 08:57:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20444513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crispytaco/pseuds/crispytaco
Summary: Several years in the future, Adrien and Marinette are now both eighteen with hopes and dreams of their adult lives. The story begins one month after the defeat of Hawkmoth. Marinette is elated, and ready to move on with the next chapter of her life but Adrien is not...Focused on the lovesquare, where feelings are complicated and conflicted.





	1. Chapter 1

The sun had finally set in Paris and the stars tried their best to twinkle in the night sky, but the sparse clouds covered their beauty here and there. Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood on her balcony, looking out at the city in the darkness. However, her mind was drifting far from the noise of the city. A gust of wind called her back to reality. It had been a difficult day. Not only did she upset her best friend Alya when she cancelled movie plans last minute, and not only did Adrien push her away again today, but she also got into an argument with her partner, Chat Noir. 

Speaking of which, Adrien Agreste had donned his Chat Noir suit. He wasn’t sure why. There were no threats out tonight. But he jumped from rooftop to rooftop anyway before stopping abruptly. 

He thought he saw Ladybug standing on the balcony across the street. A slender figure and pigtails were enough to trick his eyes. Chat Noir realized it wasn’t his lady, but his everyday-Ladybug, Marinette. 

A wave of guilt struck his stomach. He had been pushing his friends away lately, including Marinette. Seeing her then, under the stars with such a sad look on her face, he was convinced it was his—no—Adrien Agreste’s fault.

“Good evening,” Chat Noir said as he dropped down next to Marinette on her balcony. 

“Oh!” Marinette was startled. “Chat! What are you doing here?”

“Just trying to take my mind off of things,” he sat down on the railing. “Then I noticed you looked glum. Bad day?”

She sighed and nodded, looking away from Chat. 

“Me too,” He looked down and watched cars drive by for a few moments. 

“What happened to you? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” 

Chat Noir was silent for another moment. “I had a fight with Ladybug.”

Marinette felt dumb. Of course she knew that already, but she forgot that while she was feeling miserable about the argument, that Chat would too. 

She pretended to not know about it. “Oh! How come?”

“She thinks we should give back our—I mean, stop being superheroes,” he explained. 

Marinette knew what he was going to say: give back our miraculous. It made sense to her. 

“Well, it has been a month since you two defeated Hawkmoth, right?”

“Yes, I know that. That was her big reason, too. But she doesn’t get it. She thinks it’s all a game to me. She doesn’t see it the way I do. If someone like Hawkmoth could show up once who knows how many more people like him are out there!”

Chat Noir was fuming. Marinette didn’t understand why he had been so sad lately. After three years with their Miraculous, they finally had defeated Hawkmoth! He should be thrilled! 

Chat Noir’s sadness reminded her of Adrien. But Adrien had every right to be sad lately. His dad, Gabriel Agreste, turned out to be Hawkmoth. Marinette could not even begin to imagine how hard that was for him. After a month, and his dad going to prison, he was still having a hard time. To Marinette, it made sense why Adrien was sad, but Chat Noir was just acting immature. 

“Chat, may I ask you a question?” Marinette tried to soften her heart. She didn’t want another argument with Chat as her civilian self. 

“Of course.”

“Why is it so important to you that you stay a superhero? And I mean the real reason,” She asked.  
He sighed. “Being Chat Noir gives me purpose. Lately, as my civilian-self, I’ve felt like I have no purpose anymore.”

It was true, nobody wanted him to model anymore since his dad was Hawkmoth. Not that he liked it that much anyway. But everything he did, was to impress his dad. To make him happy and make him love his son. He tried so hard but his father constantly slipped further and further away. Now, he had no family left. 

“Being Chat Noir allows me to be myself,” he continued. “I’ve always had so many standards to live up to my whole life. I was miserable. Then when I got to be a superhero I could be myself. I was finally happy again. Now those standards I used to have? They’re gone and I don’t know who I’m supposed to be. I only know who I am as Chat Noir.”

Marinette was stunned. She had no idea Chat felt that way! Earlier, as Ladybug, he had just told her there might be more threats in the future and that he didn’t want to stop being a superhero. 

“Chat…” Marinette placed her hand on top of Chat Noir’s. He turned and looked into her bright blue eyes. “It sounds like you’ve been going through a very difficult time, have you told this to Ladybug?” She knew he hadn’t, but asked anyway. 

“I…” He took his hand away and looked down. “I haven’t.”

“You should tell her how you feel. But have you thought, maybe there’s a reason she doesn’t want to be Ladybug anymore? Just like how you don’t want to stop being Chat Noir?”

“What do you mean?” He asked. 

“Well…” Marinette has to be careful to not reveal herself here. “Maybe, she sees being Ladybug as this huge responsibility. Where she has to be perfect and not ever feel emotions in order to not be akumatized. Maybe she’s been stuffing away her feelings for so long and she just wants to feel something for once. Maybe she just wants to be a kid again.”

She was realizing some of it just as it left her mouth.  
Chat Noir stared at her. 

“But… I’ll miss her,” he said, at last. “And even if we’re no longer heroes, she still won’t let us reveal our identities to each other. I don’t understand it all.”

“You love her… don’t you?” Marinette asked.

“More than anything in the world. I know she loves somebody else but no matter how hard I try I can’t not love her. I want her to be happy more than anything.”

“And if not being superheroes makes her happy? You don’t want that?”

“How can I know she’s happy if I no longer see her? How can I be happy?” Chat buries his face in his hands. 

They passed a few minutes in silence. Marinette placed her hand on his shoulder, unsure how to comfort her friend. She wanted to tell him Ladybug would change her mind but she was Ladybug and as much as she wanted Chat Noir to be happy she had other goals and wanted to be happy too. She wanted to travel around the world and go to New York to practice designing. She felt trapped in Paris, as Ladybug. She wanted to be done. 

And as much as she cared for and trusted Chat, they couldn’t reveal their identities. What if Hawkmoth escaped? And used their knowledge against each other? It was dangerous. They both knew that. And yet, at the same time, they both desperately wanted to know each other better. 

“I feel selfish,” Chat finally said. 

Marinette looked up.

“I haven’t even asked why your day was bad, Marinette.”

“Oh, my day… Well, it’s stupid. Its nothing compared to how you’re feeling.”

“That’s nonsense,” Chat shook his head. “A bad day is a bad day.”

“How about this,” Despite the cat revealing his feelings, Marinette wasn’t ready to discuss hers. “Tomorrow—or whenever you see Ladybug next, you’ll tell her everything you told me. Then, I’ll be ready to talk to you.”

“That sounds like a fair trade to me.” Chat Noir grinned and moved to leave. But before doing so, he turned back to see Marinette, sweet Marinette smiling back at him. 

“You’re a good friend Mari,” he took her hand and kissed the back of it, just before disappearing into the night. 

As he did, Chat felt his fondness for Marinette grow.

Marinette felt blood rush into her cheeks as she muttered partly to herself, partly to Tilki, “Chat sounds a lot like Adrien.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s chapter two! Sorry it’s a little shorter. And just so you all know, I’m not trying to make Marinette/Ladybug come off as rude. It won’t be exactly explained for another few chapters but, I have a plan ;)

The following evening, Adrien prepared for patrol. It was Ladybug’s night to do so, but Adrien needed to see her. He looked at himself in the mirror. Adrien had always been slender but he looked thin as of late. 

He sighed and reminded himself to focus on Ladybug before transforming and slipping outside, into the night.   
Chat Noir scanned the horizon, wondering where the red spotted hero could be. He decided to make his way to the Eiffel Tower, where he could get a better vantage point of the city. 

It wasn’t long before he found Ladybug. She wasn’t too hard to miss; with the bright red and swinging around the city. He began to follow her until she stopped to rest on the top of a building. 

“Good evening,” he said, tempted to add m’lady to the end of the sentence but he had stopped doing that a couple of years ago. Why did he want to say it now?

“Chat?” Ladybug turned around, slightly startled. “What are you doing here?” She felt dumb for adding that. She knew why he was there but that was Marinette who was supposed to know. Not Ladybug. 

“I felt bad about our argument yesterday, and I came here to apologize,” Chat Noir explained. “I feel like I also wasn’t entirely truthful with you and I wanted to apologize for that, too.”

“Chat—“

“Wait, before you say anything, let me explain,” he cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “I know you feel like I should be happier currently. Happy that we defeated Hawkmoth. And I am happy about that. But around the same time, I lost somebody really close to me.”

“Oh, Chat Noir…”

It was half-true. Gabriel Agreste was practically dead in his son’s eyes. He was only in prison but Adrien had no intention of speaking to his father again. 

Chat continued: “My life, outside of being a superhero, isn’t what I’d like it to be. My family is strict and I never feel like I can truly be myself. Even around my friends. Well, that’s gotten better but still. When I became Chat Noir there weren’t all these crazy expectations for me. I feel free as Chat Noir. I guess all I’m trying to say is… I’m not ready to give that up yet.”

“Chat Noir,” Ladybug approached her partner and put a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. I wish I had known sooner. I knew of course how much being a superhero means to you but… I would never want you to make such a big decision while you are grieving.”

She embraced him and Chat Noir was glad to hug her back. His stress, anger, and pain seemed to melt away. Releasing her was harder than he expected it to be. 

“We can wait to make a decision in another month or two. Whenever you are ready,” Ladybug smiled, and when Chat smiled back, she wondered when he got so… attractive. 

“Thank you, Ladybug. And one more thing…”

“Yes?”

“Would you be willing to hang out sometime? I mean as Ladybug and Chat Noir obviously—“

Ladybug took ahold of his hand, surprising both of them. “Of course, kitty. How about Saturday? Meet you at the Eiffel Tower.”

Chat was blushing as he nodded very quickly. 

“See you then, Chat Noir,” she squeezed his hand before letting go then smiled and winked, before swinging away into the night. 

Something was bubbling back up into Chat Noir. 

Feelings that he had fought to stuff away two years ago were back like a flood rushing through his veins. Those feelings never truly left, he had only built a wall around them and Ladybug just came in and knocked the wall back down. 

Chat Noir smiled to himself and made his way back home


	3. Chapter 3

“Tikki,” Marinette groaned, flopping face-first onto her bed shortly after transforming. “What did I just do?

“You agreed to hang out with Chat Noir on Saturday.” Tikki wasn’t sure why Marinette was making a commotion. 

“Yes but I winked at him!” She rolled over into her back and ran her hands down her face. 

“So?”

“So I may have implied it was more than a simple hangout!” Marinette threw her hands up in the air. 

“Well what’s so bad about that?” 

“I… well I thought I was starting to like Adrien again.”

Tikki was about to respond but Marinette’s phone suddenly began to ring. 

“Hey… Alya,” Marinette said. 

“Hi, Marinette, I just wanted to apologize I, uh... Sorry I overreacted the other day.”

“No no! Alya you don’t need to be sorry at all!”

“But I do! You were doing so well at not cancelling on me and the other girls. And I should understand plans can change suddenly and I still got mad.”

Marinette felt relieved that Alya decided to talk to her again. “I appreciate that Alya. But I need to apologize as well. I promised you it would never happen again and it did.”

“I forgive you, girl. I always will. No one is perfect. And I know you’re busy.”

“And I know how much hanging out with each other means to you,” as Marinette said the words something dawned on her. That Chat Noir is probably similar to Alya in the sense that time spent together meant a lot to him. 

After hanging up with Alya she wondered what it would be like to not see her ever again. Like what if they only ever saw each other at school, and in a few months, once they graduated, they stopped seeing each other. Was that how she was making Chat feel? She wanted to protect him. The future scared her. What if someone else bad got ahold of a Miraculous? 

She decided she should see Master Fu again. 

~

“Plagg! Can you believe Ladybug agreed to hang out with me?” Adrien said, ecstatic. 

Plagg shoved a piece of cheese in his mouth before responding. “I can.”

“She’s never done that before!” Adrien exclaimed, spinning in his desk chair. 

The kwami swallowed. “Isn’t this the first time you asked her to hang out in a non-romantic setting?”

Adrien stopped spinning and scratched his chin. He got up and made his way to the kitchen for a snack. Looking at Plagg was making him hungry. “That’s… true. Isn’t it?” It had been a while, however. He couldn’t get Ladybug off his mind, now. 

“You’ve got that look in your eye.”

“What? What look?” He whirled around to look at Plagg. 

“The one where you’re thinking about Ladybug,” Plagg wanted to tease Adrien about it, but he knew better. 

“I…” Adrien sighed as they entered the kitchen. “My feelings for her may be returning. I’ll admit it. But…”

“But what?” Plagg inquired. 

Adrien looked at a box on the kitchen counter. A box of macarons with a note attached from Marinette. 

We can’t always choose what happens to us. But we can choose what we make of it.   
I’m always here for you, Adrien. Anytime.   
Love, Marinette

“But there might be… someone else.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is my favorite chapter so far. :) I’ll try to get the next one up ASAP!

Ladybug was distracted on her patrol the following night. She couldn’t stop thinking about, well, everything. Of course she loved being Ladybug. But she also loved being Marinette. It was hard for her to constantly make up reasons why she couldn’t travel. She wanted to go to New York and learn from other designers. But she felt as though one of her feet was glued to Paris. She didn’t want to leave it behind. Even if it was only for a couple of weeks at a time. Marinette was missing opportunity after opportunity.

Ladybug took a deep breath. She just had to keep herself together for one more month.

Ladybug scanned the Agreste mansion. Adrien had some security outside but she still felt obligated to make sure it was okay. While Gabriel and his assistant were gone, Adrien did still live there. 

She got closer and closer to the house, wondering how Adrien was. She decided to get closer, maybe just take a peek into his room… just to check he’s alive. 

“Ladybug?” A window from the first floor opened. Adrien appeared from within, looking up at her with his bright green eyes. 

“A-Adrien!” Ladybug exclaimed. “Sorry I was, er, just in the neighborhood and wanted to make sure you were okay!” Her eyes were wide. She couldn’t believe she almost tumbled over words like when she had a crush on the boy a few years ago. She blushed but Adrien didn’t seem to notice. 

“Would you like some tea, Ladybug?” He lifted up a kettle so Ladybug could see through the window. 

“Oh! Well, I suppose I could…” she tried not to act too eager. 

He smiled. “I’ll meet you around front. Don’t worry about security either.”

He wouldn’t tell her, but he told his security guards that if they saw Ladybug around the house to not bother her. 

Ladybug swung over to the front door. As she touched the ground, the door opened up. 

“Come on in,” Adrien held the door open. 

“Thank you,” She looked around the entryway. The place was always quiet, but somehow it seemed even quieter now. 

Adrien led her to a sitting room and left her for a brief moment. There were three expensive-looking teal chairs. Ladybug was afraid to sit in any of them but she was surprised to find them quite comfortable. A large window on one wall welcomed in a gentle breeze from the outdoors. The wall across from the window was lined with tall bookshelves where all the books were arranged alphabetically and no book was out of place. 

Adrien returned with the tea and took the seat adjacent to Ladybug. 

“So, what brings you here, Ladybug?” He asked. 

“I wanted to know how you’re doing, Adrien,” she added some sugar to her tea. 

“Well, better now that you’re here,” he admitted, lifting his tea. 

“Really?” 

“Of course.”

“I was certain you’d hate me,” Ladybug’s grip on her tea cup tightened. 

“Oh,” Adrien looked down at his tea. “You mean… because of…”

“Yeah,” Ladybug nodded.

They sat in silence for several moments. 

“To be honest, I haven’t been great. It… was really shocking at first. And the media didn’t react very well which is what mostly gets to me.”

“I know. You know that girl, Alya? From the Ladyblog? She keeps writing that you’re nothing like him and for people to-“

Adrien smiled. “Yeah, I know. She’s pretty great.”

“But the brand...”

“Completely changed. And they don’t want me anymore.”

“I’m sorry.” They were quiet again. “You know what a certain bee might say?” Ladybug smirked. 

“Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” They said together, laughing half-heartedly. 

“I can tell a lot of people are getting over it though. Him being my father, I mean.”

“I’m sure nobody blames you for anything he did,” Ladybug said. 

“That’s what everyone says. But they want to forget and I’m just a reminder,” Adrien sipped his tea. He realized he forgot to add sugar and frowned at the bitter taste. 

“Maybe this is a good opportunity,” Ladybug pointed out. 

“How so?” Adrien added sugar to his tea. 

“Well, did you want to model forever?”

Adrien shook his head. “I just… I don’t know what to do. I always just did what my father wanted me to do. Now he’s gone and I have no clue what anyone expects from me.”

“Maybe it’s time you focus on you, Adrien,” Ladybug met his eyes, wanting her message to be clear. “You don’t have to do what people expect from you anymore. Do what you want to do. Make yourself known for being yourself and not for being your father’s son.”

“That’s some good advice, Ladybug. But… where do I start?”

“That’s the thing, Adrien. You can start wherever you want.”

Adrien thought about it for a moment. Then suddenly, he jumped up out of his seat and went back into the kitchen. He brought back with him a box. 

“Would you like a macaron, Ladybug? My really good friend Marinette made them for me. Her parents own the best bakery in Paris!”

“I’d love a macaron,” Ladybug smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 is here! It’s longer so I think it’s worth the wait. The chapters next to come btw are gonna be goooooooood ;)

“Bye mom! Bye dad! Love you both!” Marinette hugged each of her parents before running out of the bakery. She told them she was going to Alya’s but in reality she was going to visit Master Fu. Sometimes she would transform to get to his place but today she walked, as herself. 

She knocked on the door before entering. “Master Fu!” She called. 

“Ah, Marinette!” Master Fu emerged from the other room. “How are you today?”

“I… I’m feeling conflicted, Master,” she admitted. “I wanted to ask you for advice.”

They sat down and Marinette began to explain. “I know a month ago I said that I think Chat Noir and I should return our miraculous. That way the miraculous would be safe. Paris would be safe too. I finally got the chance to speak with him about it. Now, I’m not sure what’s best for everyone.”

“Why do you think that?” Master Fu asked. 

“I guess I wasn’t taking into account Chat’s feelings. The decision should be his too, after all,” Marinette signed. “I just want us both to be one hundred percent sure we’re making the best decision. But now I’m zero percent sure either of our choices are best.”

“It is a very big decision,” Fu agreed. “You don’t have to decide right away. I am positive that whatever you do choose, it will be the right choice.”

“Thank you. We’ve decided to wait one more month to decide, anyway,” Marinette stood to leave. “Thank you, Master Fu.”

“Goodbye, Marinette,” he smiled. “And do not forget; a lot can happen in a month.”

“Yes,” Marinette opened the door. “It can.”

~

After school, Adrien made his way to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He opened the door, hoping Marinette would be working the counter. Instead he was greeted by Sabine.   
“Bonjour, Adrien!” She smiled, cheerfully. 

“Hi, Sabine. How are you?” Adrien asked. 

“Good! It’s been a slow day but that’s okay. How are you?”

“I’m alright,” Adrien didn’t want to say much more. He was relieved when Tom entered from the back of the store. 

“Adrien!” Tom bellowed. “How goes it? If you’re looking for Marinette, she unfortunately just went to Alya’s place.”

“Oh! Well as much as I’d love to see Marinette, I was actually looking for you two.”

“Well how can we help you?” Sabine asked. 

“I was wondering… if you could use a hand in the bakery?” Adrien explained. 

“You mean you want a job?” Tom asked. 

“Well, I mean-”

“Do you have baking experience?”

“No… but you guys don’t even have to pay me! I can be like an intern!” Adrien exclaimed. He clasped his hands together, ready to beg. 

“I don’t know… what do you think, Sabine?” Tom asked his wife. 

“Well, maybe we could finally convince Marinette to travel as long as we have an extra pair of hands. She’s always helping us out even when we’re sure we can manage without her,” Sabine explained. 

“You’re right, dear! If we hire Adrien, then Marinette can focus on her designs,” Tom agreed. 

“Then it’s decided!” Sabine smiled and clapped her hands together. “Adrien why don’t you come over tomorrow after school and Marinette can show you the basics?”

“Yes! Sounds great! Thank you both so much!” Adrien shook both of their hands. “See you tomorrow!”

He turned and ran out of the bakery, feeling more gleeful than he ever had in the last month. Then, just as he rounded the block he saw her. 

“Hi, Marinette!” He said. 

“Oh! Ah! Hi Adrien!” Marinette was surprised to see Adrien out and about. Not only was he rarely let out when his dad was around, but he hardly wanted company after school the last few weeks. She wondered if things were finally turning around. 

“How’s Alya?” Adrien asked. 

“Alya?” She looked confused before remembering what she had told her parents. “Oh! She’s really good! What are you doing here, though? If I may ask, that is.”

“Oh, well a friend of mine gave me some great advice yesterday. So I decided to take some initiative and get a job!” Adrien said, excited. 

“Where at?” Marinette asked. 

Adrien only gestured at the bakery next to them. 

“What? No way! My parents have always refused to hire help! They agreed when you asked?”

“Yeah! I’m very excited!” Adrien smiled. Marinette’s heart almost jumped through her chest. 

“That’s awesome!” Marinette grinned. 

“Well, I’ve got to go study for our quiz tomorrow. I’ll see you at school Marinette!” Adrien smiled and raised a hand to wave goodbye. 

“Okay! Bye Adrien!” Her smile faltered for a brief moment before she picked it back up. 

Adrien began to turn to leave before he stopped, remembering he was free to do whatever he wanted, he turned back to his friend. “Actually, would you like to come to my place and study together? Maybe we could grab a bite to eat after!”

“Oh! I’d love to! Let me go grab my backpack and let my parents know,” As Marinette spoke, Adrien found himself staring at her lips. He immediately corrected himself and watched her run into the bakery.

From now on, there would only be good days.


	6. Chapter 6

“I think I’m as prepared for this quiz as can be,” Adrien yawned, stretching his arms up toward the ceiling. He returned them to his lap. “What do you think? Think you’re ready?”

Marinette smiled. “Well, it is only a quiz. Most people in our class won’t have bothered to study.”

“What?” Adrien said, flabbergasted. “But if you don’t study for quizzes then how well can you do on the tests?”

Marinette shrugged. “They just study for tests.”

“Wow. I can’t imagine trying to cram all that info in at once,” Adrien shook his head, amazed. “You should just be reviewing by test time.”

“That’s why you’re the best in the class,” Marinette said.

“Me? No you are, Marinette!”

“True. But we both have one hundred percent in history!” Marinette explained. 

“So we’re tied.”

“Yes. But only until I turn in my extra credit homework.”

“You mean, until I turn in my extra credit,” Adrien leaned toward her in his seat, ready to challenge her for the number one spot.

“Well see about that,” Marinette leaned in as well. 

They both realized how close they were to one another. Just three inches more and there noses would be touching. One more inch and their lips could press together. 

Adrien turned back to his self-made study guide in order to hide his red cheeks from the cute girl sitting beside him. He thought about Ladybug for a moment. Didn’t he feel himself falling for her all over again the other night? Yet his heart fluttered at the sight of Marinette. The way her eyelashes sat as she looked at her book. The way her blue eyes caught the light when she looked up, pondering the answer to a question. The way they seemed to pierce him when she looked at him as though she were Cupid and her eyes were an arrow. Those eyes shot straight into his heart. 

Marinette felt a similar way. However, for her, it was the reignition of old feelings. A fire that was put out long ago was now being rekindled. But she was more hesitant with Adrien now. It hurt to her to put the flames out, those couple of years ago. She couldn’t bear the idea of having to do that again. And yet, there he was asking her if she wanted to grab dinner at his favorite sushi restaurant. And there she was, enthusiastically nodding her head, yes. 

They stepped outside, chatting about Alya’s latest blog post and Chloe’s latest Instagram pic from her trip to New York. Giggling the whole way there, they finally made it to the restaurant and were seated after 15 minutes. 

“You ever have to wait to be seated before?” Marinette teased. 

“Rarely,” Adrien admitted. “It’s nice though.”

The waiter came over and the two ordered their drinks and meals. Adrien caught himself staring at Marinette, again. 

“How have you been, Adrien? And I mean really been? I know things haven’t been easy but… everyone is worried about you,” she said. 

“I think I’m getting over it. Things just feel weird anymore. I think that’s the hardest part. It’s not like the house is any quieter. But I don’t wanna be there anymore either.”

Marinette nodded, listening intently. 

“I’ve decided I’m done waiting for everyone else to get over it, though. A friend told me to make a name for myself. So everyone would know me for me and not for my father.”

Marinette knew he was talking about Ladybug. He was talking about her. And he was making the cutest face as he did so. It was full of hope, passion, and while Marinette couldn’t detect it, it was full of love, too.

“Have you spoken to him?” She asked, carefully. 

“Once. I don’t intend on answering his calls any time soon,” Adrien’s speech was more curt now. 

Their meals were delivered and Marinette decided it was time to change the subject. 

“Alya and I are planning on going to the opening of that new exhibit at the Louvre next week. Maybe you and Nino should come too?” 

“That sounds like a great idea,” Adrien smiled, effortlessly picking up a sushi roll with his chopsticks.   
Marinette relaxed, he already seemed in a better mood.   
The two ate their sushi, discussing the latest Disney movie and whether it deserved a sequel. The waiter came around with a check, but it wasn’t for another hour that they finally realized the time and decided to leave. 

They considered taking a cab home but decided otherwise. 

“Look at this beautiful sunset!” Marinette exclaimed. 

Not as beautiful as you. Adrien thought to himself. Instead he nodded, smiled, and walked the beautiful girl home, aching to hold her soft hand. 

He didn’t want to jump into anything too quickly, however. He still needed to sort out his feelings for Ladybug, whatever those feelings were. 

After dropping her off he immediately wanted to see her again. She made the ache in his heart disappear, even if momentarily. 

He decided he would see her, very soon. As Chat Noir.


	7. Chapter 7

Marinette found herself sitting out on her balcony again that night. Ever since he said he would return she found herself waiting for him to come back. She knew she’d at least see him on Saturday. Today was Thursday but Saturday still felt so far away. She texted Alya about Chat Noir showing up on her balcony before and about her hang out with Adrien. 

Is that what it was, though? It felt so much like a date but they didn’t even hold hands! Or hug! She was just cheering Adrien up. That’s all it was. 

“So you’re stuck between two boys again, huh?” Alya asked, over the phone. “Supermodel or superhero?”

“It’s more complicated than that…”

“More complicated than when you were stuck between Adrien and Luka?” Marinette knew Alya was making a sarcastic face. 

“Yes, actually,” Marinette stated. 

“Really? Because when you finally went out with Luka it was obvious who you really wanted to be with,” Alya said. 

“Don’t remind me…” Marinette warned. She still felt bad about breaking sweet Luka’s heart, two years later. They went out for a few months but despite how much she wanted, Marinette just couldn’t fall for him completely. She broke up with him because she was torturing herself over it. She couldn’t sleep so her health and grades suffered. Which meant she was jeopardizing her ability to protect Paris. Not to mention how sad Chat Noir seemed at the time, knowing she was dating someone.

“Well, Adrien went out with Kagami and you thought it was over for you, I get it. But girl, I know there’s one you’d prefer to be with.”

“You mean, Adrien? I’m not sure…”

“I’m not saying it’s Adrien. I’m saying in your heart you know which one you think you’re meant to be with,” Alya explains. 

“Yeah, if only I could think with something other than my brain, for once.”

“Okay, let’s do that for a moment. What do you like about Adrien?” Alya asks. 

“He’s cute, he’s sweet, he’s gentle, soft and honest, and he’s always a gentleman but he still has room to tease me about things.”

“And Chat Noir? What is it about him?”

“He’s cute, he’s funny, he’s spontaneous and actually quite a romantic. And despite the fact he’s a busy superhero he always has time to share his feelings.”

“Hm. Well they both sound pretty great to me.”

Marinette groaned. “That’s not helpful Alya!”

“Girl, I can tell you now that dating either of them will be hard. Adrien’s a depressed sad-sack since his dad was Hawkmoth and Chat Noir, well, he’s a superhero with a secret identity! How do you date that?”

“They’re both… sad-sacks, actually,” Marinette muttered. 

“What? Why?”

“Uh, I shouldn’t say, probably.”

“Okay well, you have an odd type right now.”

“Who would you go for?” Marinette asked. 

“Excuse you,” Alya said. “I am in a committed relationship. Also, I have no idea.”

Marinette groaned again, louder than before. 

“Go on a date with both of them. Flip a coin or something if it helps. I gotta go, my sisters are trying to bake a cake and I think something just exploded,” Alya said. 

“No worries. Thanks anyway, Alya,” Marinette hung up the phone, feeling indecisive. 

“Tikki, I don’t know what to do. I never thought love triangles were real things that happen.”

“Well, Alya is right about that. In those movies, there is always one person that is obviously meant for them!” Tikki exclaimed. 

“I just can’t tell who that is. On one hand, I’m falling for Adrien all over again. That’s a good sign for… something. And then with Chat Noir, well, that’s gotta be some Miraculous holder fate or destiny sort of thing, right? They both just seem so right! What feels wrong is that I’m falling for them both at the same time!” Marinette threw her face in her hands, distraught. She slumped over in her chair. 

“You know, Marinette, that’s the other thing about those movies. The answer may be obvious to the audience, but no one else knows! So they still get to know both of their love interests,” Tikki explained. 

Marinette lifted her face. She was about to speak when she noticed someone running on top of the rooftops in her direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! The next chapter was going to be part of this one, but it ended up being so long I decided to post it in two parts! Next one will be up within the next few days! Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to see (aka date ideas, etc)


	8. Chapter 8

Earlier…

“Wow, Plagg,” Adrien said as he closed the door to his bedroom and sat down at his computer desk. “Who knew how great Marinette was?”

“Literally everyone but you it seems,” Plagg joked. 

“Ha ha,” Adrien laughed sarcastically as he pulled out his phone. He found a text from Nino asking him how he’s doing. Adrien figured he’d call. 

“Hey dude,” Nino answered. “Heard about your date with Marinette.”

“What date? We were just hanging out!” Adrien protested. 

“I know you’re totally into her. And if that wasn’t a date, you should make sure you go on a real one with her,” Nino said. 

“Really? I don’t know if the timing is good,” Adrien confessed. 

“Look, Adrien, it doesn’t have to be super serious right away. You just deserve something or someone who will make you happy. I know Mari would do that for you,” Nino got more serious. 

“What if she’s not into the idea? Or into me? Or what if she’s afraid to reject me because of how I’ve been lately? And then I make her miserable because she feels like she can’t break up with me?”

“Dude, you sound like Marinette right now,” Nino laughed. “Anyway, I guess it depends on how you feel. If it’s too soon, then it’s too soon. If you’re ready, then just prove that to Marinette.”

“As much as I want to ask her out and despite how much better I’m feeling, I’m not sure if I’m ready.” Adrien said. 

“Don’t worry about it then. Just don’t lead her on while you’re deciding,” Nino said. “I just want you to be happy again.”

“Got it. Thank you, Nino.”

“See you tomorrow, dude.”

Adrien said goodbye and hung up his phone. His head felt a little clearer after that conversation. But he still really wanted to see Marinette again. Tomorrow was too far away. Not to mention, he did say he would be back to see her. 

So Adrien called Plagg over and transformed before jumping out the window. Normally, he’d take his sweet time but he felt like running today. As the sun set behind him, he ran on the rooftops of Paris and hopped from building to building. His heart pumped hard, ready to spring out of his chest and fly to Marinette. 

Chat Noir was in luck tonight, the beautiful girl was already on her balcony. Had she been waiting for him? He panicked suddenly. Had she been waiting every night since they talked the other day? He ran faster, down on all fours. Then, at last, he used his baton to travel the last bit of distance to land on the roof next to the balcony. 

“Hi, princess!” He meowed. 

“Jesus! Chat Noir!” Marinette cried. “You scared the shit out of me!”

“Oh no! I’m sorry!” Chat cowered in shame. 

Marinette gasped for air. “It’s okay,” she sighed. “I’m okay.”

Chat Noir dropped down beside her. Without thinking, he threw his arms around her and begged for forgiveness. 

“Oh, silly kitty. I know you didn’t mean to,” Marinette hugged him back, tighter than she meant to, as well as longer than she meant to. 

“I was excited to see you,” Chat admitted. 

She smiled. “I’m assuming you spoke with Ladybug?”

“Yes! I think we’re good for now. Still, I’d like to know who she really is. The thought of never knowing scares me.”

The air had shifted. The sun was now out of sight, replaced by a deep violet sky and an endless amount of stars. Marinette wasn’t sure what she should say. 

“What if… she’s scared?” 

“Ladybug? Scared?” Chat was surprised at her answer. 

“What if she’s scared you won’t like the real her?” Marinette insists. 

“Why wouldn’t I like her?” Chat Noir shook his head.  
“Impossible.”

“What if she’s somebody you know?” Marinette asked. 

“Then I’d be lucky,” he said. 

“Somebody you don’t like?” 

“There’s no way she’d be that different as a civilian.”

“What about you? How different are you?” Marinette didn’t mean to ask too many questions, but her anxiety was getting to her since Chat startled her. 

“I… I’m different I suppose.”

“Different enough to be unrecognizable?” 

Chat Noir took a step back. “Marinette… did you figure out my identity or something?”

“What?” Marinette felt stupid. “No! No! Of course not. I’m just… Rambling. Sorry.”

“Oh,” Chat moved back toward her, and sat next to her. “I almost forgot to ask… How are you? Are you doing okay?”

It was hard to say, truthfully. On one hand, she had such an exciting afternoon with Adrien. But her feelings were still conflicted, especially with Chat Noir in front of her again. He gave off such a nice aura. 

On the other hand she was still dealing with the stress of making a decision about their miraculous. She had to admit it: she was scared to reveal who she was to Chat Noir. He thought so highly of Ladybug. For him to find out she was just… Marinette Dupain-Cheng, nobody special. Just a plain girl with outrageous dreams. Dreams she couldn’t pursue because she was trapped in Paris. Trapped in her own self-doubt. 

It was like Chat Noir suddenly flipped a switch in her. Every emotion Marinette had packed up and put away for four long years were back. 

“Marinette?” Chat called to her like a hand reaching down into the hole she fell into, ready to pull her back up. 

“I’m sorry,” Marinette sighed. “I can’t.”

“You know you can tell me anything, Mari,” he held onto her shoulders. “Please let me be here for you.”

“Not this,” Marinette shook her head. “It’s not something I can share.”

He looked down for a moment, then returned her gaze once more. She stared into his bright green eyes as long as she could before her own welled up with tears. Chat Noir pulled her toward him, embracing her tightly, more so than before. 

Marinette didn’t sob. She just held on, tears quietly pouring. She didn’t really know why she was crying. She just knew she wanted to move on from everything that was stressing her out. She couldn’t tell Chat Noir or Adrien that they were both stressing her out in multiple ways. She didn’t want to either. She just wanted to be held, like this. 

The tears slowed, along with her breathing. Soon, her eyes her closed, only listening to the sound of Chat Noirs breathing. The echoes and drumming of the city drowning away. She held onto Chat, subconsciously appreciating the firmness of his torso and arms. The way he wouldn’t let go until she did. Not like she planned on letting go. 

Chat Noir held on tight. He wanted to be what he needed when he was sad. Often times, he didn’t have anyone. But he never wanted Marinette to feel like that. He didn’t plan on letting go, but he felt his princess’s grip loosen and her head rest on his shoulder. He listened for her breathing. It was soft, and incredibly even. She had fallen asleep in his embrace. 

He figured it was time he went home, anyway. So he lifted Marinette up with ease and climbed down into Marinette’s room. He threw back the covers of the bed before laying her down gently. Chat wondered if she’d be okay, sleeping in jeans, but he figured that’d be overstepping a boundary to remove them. So he only took her shoes off before pulling the soft sheets and comforter up over her. 

Chat Noir found himself staring at her once she was tucked in. He made himself turn away and noticed a Chat Noir plush that she had made sitting next to Ladybug and the other superheroes on a nearby shelf. He grabbed the Chat Noir plush and placed it in her arms. The real Chat smiled, satisfied with his work before he climbed back out onto the balcony and made his way home.


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette woke up the next morning well rested. She smiled, filled with warmth when she found her Chat Noir plush in her bed beside her. She wondered how she ended up back in her bed and knew it had to have been her sweet cat. 

She was excited to show Adrien how to make bread after school today. First, she just had to make it through school, which included the history quiz she and Adrien studied for yesterday. She was certain she’d get one-hundred percent but she knew she was distracted as of late. 

Marinette got out of bed and put on a pair of jeans and a light pink sweater. She decided to wear her hair in a ponytail today instead of her signature pigtails and added a pink hair clip to hold back some fly-always.   
When she got to school she was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was she early, but Chloé approached her with a compliment. 

“Your outfit actually looks good today,” Chloe said. 

“Thanks, Chloé,” Marinette smiled. She and Chloé were no longer enemies but they weren’t exactly friends either. It was evident that Chloé was doing her best to make up for how mean she used to be, but at the end of the day, she was still Chloé Bourgeois. 

School was more enjoyable nowadays. Everyone got along a lot better in general. Not to mention ever since Lila got expelled, everyone was happier. 

Adrien couldn’t help but think about Marinette all day. It was apparent that she had some secret, and it was really weighing her down. Yet, somehow, when she arrived to class she smiled at everyone in a way that looked like nothing could ever out her down. He wondered what else he didn’t notice about 

At lunch, Alya, Nino, and Marinette were surprised when Adrien came and sat down with them instead of going to the library like he usually did. His lunch seemed very light; just a sandwich and a banana. Marinette decided she’d offer him one of her chocolate chip cookies when the time came. 

“Hey, Alya,” Marinette said. “What do you think about having Adrien and Nino join us at the Louvre next week?” 

Alya smiled, thinking that Marinette had decided to pursue Adrien again. “That sounds like a wonderful idea! What do you guys say? Next Thursday after school?”

“Yeah, totally,” Nino smiled. 

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Adrien nodded. “I’ll be there.”

They continued to talk for several moments when there was a commotion from outside. The four friends ran to look out a nearby window to catch a glimpse of whatever was going on. 

Marinette and Adrien were shocked. Wasn’t it supposed to be over?

Why was there someone akumatized outside?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for the sorta boring chapter (boring chapters are actually so much harder to write for me). School was started for me irl so I’ll probably post once a week instead of twice a week. Thanks for all the support! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got this week’s chapter done early! Action isn’t my strong suit so the next chapter or two might not be as good but I’ll try my best!

Within moments everyone was jumping to look out the window. After the initial shock of seeing an akuma, Adrien suddenly felt eyes on him. He quickly turned and left the room. Marinette knew she had to transform, but first she followed her friend. She couldn’t risk two akumas. But more importantly, she wanted to make sure he was okay. 

Adrien felt a wild mix of emotions. He couldn’t clear his head enough to transform quite yet. 

“Adrien!” Marinette called as she appeared around the corner. Adrien had his back to her and stopped walking. “Adrien, are you-“

“How is this happening?” Adrien whirled around, tears beginning to form in his eyes. “I was just starting to feel better.”

“Oh, Adrien-“

“He’s not back is he? That’s not possible right? How would he get the miraculous back. We—I mean, Ladybug took it back didn’t she?”

Adrien was shaking. He was trying to keep himself together. How was he going to fight this akuma?  
Marinette wrapped her arms around her friend, taking him in closely. She wanted everything to be okay, too. 

“Adrien, I don’t know how someone got akumatized but I do know that Ladybug and Chat Noir will take care of it. They will figure out how this happened and we’ll all know what’s going on by the end of the day.”

Adrien hugged Marinette in return. He soaked her in, while everything wasn’t really okay, he felt like it was going to be okay while he held Marinette. She was so soft but at the same time so strong. She felt right. 

“I’m pretty sure you’re right,” She said, letting go finally. “It’s not possible for him to be back. But for now, in case he is. You might need to hide.”

She looked around for possible spots. Then she remembered the custodian closet around the corner. Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hand and guided him to the closet. Adrien tried to hide the fact he was blushing, but Marinette wasn’t looking anyway. She opened the closet door and led Adrien inside. 

“You should be safe here,” she said. “I’m going to check on the others. I’ll be right back.”

It was a lie, obviously. She’ll just say she got captured by the akuma or something when he asks why she never returned. For now, she had other problems to worry about. 

Marinette turned to Tikki, who had popped her head out of her bag. “It can’t be him, right?”

“I don’t know, Marinette, but for now you just have to focus on stopping the akuma!” Tikki said. 

“Right!” Marinette nodded. “Tikki, spots on!” 

~

“Adrien,” Plagg said, still in the closet with Adrien. “You gotta transform.”

“I don’t know if I can face him, I’m not ready,” Adrien confessed. 

“Let’s just focus on the akuma for now,” Plagg suggested. 

Adrien thought about Marinette, running back to help the others. Had he forgotten who he was? Adrien was Chat Noir, a superhero! Why was he sitting in a closet in fear? Marinette wasn’t a superhero and she still went to help everyone. 

“Alright, Plagg,” Adrien breathed. “Claws out.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! School is making me busy and the new episodes last weekend (Love Eater and Miracle Queen) distracted me too. 
> 
> *mild spoiler*  
Part of me was upset about master fu especially now that it contradicts my fic :( oh well! Just know I started this fic before those eps

When Chat Noir approached the akuma, he spotted Ladybug (get it? Spotted?) hiding behind a dumpster. She had that look on her face—she was formulating a plan already. 

“Hello,” he said half-heartedly. 

“You doing okay?” Ladybug looked at Chat, concerned. Normally he would have some joke or pun to say. A simple hello felt odd. 

“Well, I was in the middle of something very important.”

“What? Lunch?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“Lunch is the most important meal of the day,” Chat Noir crossed his arms in defense. 

“That’s breakfast, kitty.”

“Okay, well, I’m confused why there is an akuma.”

“Me too,” Ladybug admitted. “I don’t think Hawkmoth made this akuma, though.”

A whirl of relief ran through Chat. “Oh good. I mean—then who did? And how can you tell?”

“Hawkmoth was very strong. And very good at using his miraculous. He knew to only akumatize people who were feeling strong negative emotions. Look,” She pointed at the akumatized individual. They were a girl, probably a student at their high school. Her pale pink hair was up in a large bun. She wore a white mask and a white and pink striped dress with high heeled boots. In addition, she wore a gold necklace with a large locket around her neck.  
But the strangest thing was that she wasn’t attacking anyone. But she had to be an akuma since she floated off the ground and yelled dramatically. Then she’d point at a tree or a pole and zap it, causing it to disappear. 

“So what’s up with her?” Chat Noir asked. 

“I don’t think this new Hawkmoth knows what they’re doing. They have no control over her. She must not have been very upset when she was akumatized.”

“So what do we do? Talk her down?” 

“No, we still need to free her from the akuma. But I’m worried, should we go check on Master Fu? How did someone get a miraculous from him? Is he hurt? Did they take multiple?”

“We have to take this one step at a time, Ladybug,” Chat said. “We can’t let our fears distract us.”

“You’re right,” Ladybug was impressed at her cat’s wise words. She found herself smiling at him when she should be formulating a plan. 

“So…” Chat didn’t want to look away from her either, but his mind was clear now. “Did you want me to make a plan this time?”

“What? Oh, sorry!” She shook her head and returned her attention back to the akuma victim. “Lucky charm!” She cried, throwing her yo-yo into the sky. 

A compass fell into Ladybugs’ hands. 

“Whatcha gonna do with a compass?” Chat asked. 

“Nothing,” Ladybug said. “It means Master Fu is okay.”

“So we taking this akuma on like usual?”

“For now,” she nodded. “Come on, kitty.”

Ladybug was about to jump forward when she heard a cry of frustration. It wasn’t the akuma so she looked around wildly. 

“On the roof,” Chat pointed at the roof furthest from them. 

It was the new holder of the Butterfly miraculous.


	12. Chapter 12

“Why aren’t you attacking anyone?” The new Hawkmoth yelled. 

The akuma ignored them. 

“Okay, new plan,” Ladybug said. “The akuma is not causing any trouble. So go straight for the butterfly miraculous. We get that back today.”

“Got it,” Chat Noir nodded.

The superhero duo jumped into action, completely ignoring the akuma and onto the roof next to their new foe. Ladybug landed in front and Chat landed behind them. 

“Who are you?” Ladybug demanded. 

“Ladybug! Good to meet you. I am Farfalla!” They smiled. Farfalla was a woman. She was definitely young, too. Maybe even the same age as the superheroes. She wore a purple pantsuit and had long brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail. 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Ladybug narrowed her eyes. 

Farfalla dropped her grin. “I’m someone who has been itching to watch your downfall for years. And now that’s finally going to happen!”

Chat Noir was dying to make a snarky comment. But he wasn’t sure if Farfalla knew he was behind her. So he remained still. 

“Farfalla,” Ladybug said. “I’m going to give you an option here. You can give me back the miraculous and we will pretend this didn’t happen, or I’ll take it back from you myself and we’ll pass you off to the police. Just like we did with Hawkmoth.”

“Sure,” Farfalla laughed. “Where’s your kitty by the way?”

“When I saw your akuma I told him this would be such an easy fight so he could go home.”

That finally made Farfalla seethe with rage. She rushed forward at Ladybug who immediately jumped out of the way causing Farfalla to run off the side of the roof. 

Luckily, she had superpowers so she landed much more gracefully than expected. She then removed the akuma from the poor girl who wasn’t even emotional enough to be akumatized. The girl sat up, confused, then when she saw the heroes fighting she ran off. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped down in front of Farfalla.

“Oh! There’s the cat!” Farfalla smiled, wickedly. “Wow Chat Noir, are you like, okay?”

“What?” He asked. 

“You seem pretty sad,” Farfalla pouted. “You remember what my powers are right?” The butterfly made its way back toward Farfalla, who caught it and made it into an akuma again. 

Ladybug jumped in front of Chat Noir, spinning her yo-yo in front of her. “Don’t even try,” she warned. 

“Yeah,” Chat agreed. He loved how protective Ladybug was being for him. “I’ve been down that road before. It’s not going to work again.”

Farfalla released the akuma anyway. Which was really a dumb move on her part because Ladybug just caught it with her yo-yo and cleansed it before it could even get anywhere. 

“Ugh!” Farfalla groaned in frustration. “You ruin everything Ladybug! I’m out of here!” She turned to run away. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Ladybug used to her yo-yo to catch Farfalla by the ankle, who then fell over onto her stomach. “Chat? A little hand?”

Chat Noir walked in front of Farfalla and took her miraculous off her. “I’ll be taking this, thanks.”  
Farfalla detransformed. 

“Lila!?” Ladybug exclaimed. 

Chat Noir walked back to Ladybug, and handed her the butterfly miraculous. Lila flipped over so she was facing them, and stood up. 

“So you do remember me.”

“Hey, yeah, weren’t you like… banned from France?” Chat asked. Ladybug stifled a giggle. 

“No!” Lila crossed her arms. “I just moved away!”

“Right. You were just expelled from school,” Chat remembered. 

“Ugh! I don’t know why I bothered to mess with you two! I should’ve taken more of that jewelry!” Lila shook her head. 

“Yeah, how did you get this?” Ladybug asked. 

“As if I’d tell you,” Lila spat. 

Just then, several police cars pulled up and before Lila could run, Chat Noir seized her. 

“Tell Hawkmoth we said hi!” Chat joked. 

“What!?” Lila cried. “I’m not going to jail!”

“You did commit a lot of crimes today,” Chat shrugged.   
The cops took Lila from Chat Noir and asked them a few questions before leaving. 

“Oh, and one more thing, Roger?” Ladybug said. “She’s a huge liar, and a convincing one, so you can’t believe anything she says.”

“Got it. Thank you Ladybug and Chat Noir,” he tipped his hat before turning back to his work. 

“Time to go check on Master Fu,” Ladybug said. 

“Should I come too?” Chat asked. 

“You know I always see him untransformed,” Ladybug said. 

“Right…”

“Just be prepared for me to call you,” Ladybug said. “If I don’t before the end of the day, just know everything is okay.”

“Okay,” he breathed, looking at the ground. 

“And Chat?” 

“Yes?” He looked back up. 

“I was really happy when I saw there was an akuma.”

“Why?”

“It meant that I got to see you,” she smiled. “Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow, bug out!”


	13. Chapter 13

“Master Fu!” Marinette threw open the door without even knocking. 

“Marinette!” Fu turned to face her. “You have the butterfly miraculous?”

“Yes,” Marinette huffed, reaching into her purse to hand Master Fu the stolen miraculous. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Yes, Marinette I am fine,” Master Fu said. “I have a woman whom I trust that cleans the house for me every other week. Then a young girl, claiming to be her daughter said her mother was sick today and she’d clean the house instead.”

“That must have been Lila,” Marinette clenched her fist. She thought she was done with Lila back when she got expelled for bullying. Hopefully they would decide to give her some jail time. 

“Yes,” Master Fu nodded. “But I had no reason to doubt her. I should have kept my eye on her closer. It wasn’t until an hour later, when my actual cleaning woman came that I realized something was amiss. By then, she had akumatized someone. I am very glad you got it back.”

“Me too,” Marinette nodded. “What does this mean then? Do you have to move again?”

“You know, we have discussed you being the guardian someday.”

“Yes, but… Oh! You don’t mean…”

“I wasn’t thinking until another ten years or so. But perhaps you should take this into consideration with your discussion with Chat Noir. Whatever you think is safest for the miraculous, that’s what we will do.”

Marinette couldn’t think of what to say. That would mean Master Fu would lose his memories. Of course she already was having a hard time making a decision about the miraculous. This just made it harder. Or did it?

“I can tell you are unsure. For now I will hold onto it. Next time you need me, use Ladybug’s lucky charm to find me. We can discuss it then.”

“Thank you, Master Fu,” Marinette smiled and left. 

~

“What a weird day,” Adrien sat down on the sofa in his room. After the akuma, everyone at school was sent home. After Tom and Sabine found out they told Adrien to come into the bakery sometime the following week. He was disappointed that he wouldn’t have anything to do that afternoon. It was Friday after all. Not to mention he was hoping to hang out with Marinette afterward. 

“You were proven right today,” Plagg said. 

“About what?”

“About needing to keep your miraculous, dummy!” Plagg waved his arms in Adrien’s face. “Because there’s still other threats in Paris!”

“Oh, yeah,” Adrien felt a surge of confidence. “I was right, wasn’t I?” 

“That means Ladybug won’t make you give the miraculous back!”

“Well, maybe not for now, but like she said, she wants us both to be happy with the decision,” Adrien shrugged. 

“Either way, we have more time together,” Plagg laid down next to Adrien on the arm of the couch. 

“What’s that, Plagg?” Adrien grinned. “Are you saying you would miss me?”

“What?” Plagg’s eyes shot open. “No! Just… not everyone can afford Camembert.” He closed his eyes again. 

Adrien leaned onto the arm of the couch, cupping his cheeks with his hands. “Plagg…”

“What?” Plagg kept his eyes shut. 

“Plaaaaaaaagg!”

“Whaaaaaaat?” Plagg opened his eyes. 

“Admit it,” Adrien tilted his head to the side, squishing his right cheek even more. “You would miss me.”

Plagg closed his eyes and groaned. Adrien moved his face closer. Plagg groaned again. Adrien moved closer once more. 

“Plaaaagg,” Adrien whispered. “Plagg admit it,” he raised his voice. “PLAGG!”

“GAAAAH!” Plagg startled. “Fine! I admit it! I would miss you, Adrien.”

“Awe,” Adrien patted his kwami on the head. “I’d miss you too, Plagg!”

Plagg smiled, happy to receive pats from his holder. 

“I do wonder what happened. Ladybug hasn’t messaged me at all, so I guess I should assume everything is okay,” Adrien said. 

“I could go find out for you?” Plagg suggested. 

“As much as I’d like to know, I’ll find out tomorrow when I hang out with Ladybug!” Adrien leaned back into the sofa. 

“But why not know sooner than later?” Plagg insisted, floating up where Adrien could see him. 

“Do you just want to see Tikki?” Adrien raised an eyebrow. 

“Maybe…”

“You said it yourself, though. I was right. Meaning I might need to become Chat Noir at any moment. Meaning that I need you next to me at all times,” Adrien said. 

“Ugh, I hate it when you’re right,” Plagg groaned. “How about you visit Marinette tonight?”

“Marinette?” The clueless blond asked. “Why?”

“Well you wanted to see her.”

“True…”

“And you can ask her for those cookies!” Plagg added. 

“You glutton,” Adrien smiled and stood, ready to transform. “Plagg-“

“No!” Plagg interrupted. 

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought you’d go as Adrien,” Plagg mumbled. 

“You really want some cookies, huh?” Adrien asked. 

“Right. Cookies…”

“Well it’s too late. I’ve decided! Plagg, claws out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you all know, the following chapters may take longer to come out. School is getting busier and I’m hoping to participate in NanoWrimo this year (look it up if you don’t know what that is). Hopefully I’ll still have time for this fic but if not, just know I’ll be back to it by December! Hope you all are as excited for Chat Blanc as I am!


End file.
